SP6.13 Group based education: a shortened pathway to happy bowels

Aims Group based education (GBE) increases knowledge and empowers patients with pelvic floor disorders by reducing their feelings of stigma and isolation. The rationale behind introducing GBE in a tertiary pelvic floor centre was to educate patients about defaecatory disorders and their management; improve patient care by reducing waiting times; and allow patients access to multi-disciplinary services in one session. Methods One-hour long GBE sessions were held bi-monthly, including talks by a bowel specialist nurse, gastrointestinal dietician and pelvic physiotherapist. Patients were educated on symptoms of defaecatory disorders including constipation and anal incontinence, and their first-line management: conservative treatment called biofeedback. Patients opted to attend in person or online. Sessions were interactive, included a Q&A, and discussion and patient feedback was collected at the end (paper form/online survey monkey questionnaire). Results Mean wait-time for biofeedback was reduced from 3.5 to 1.4 months with the introduction of GBE and biofeedback appointment on the same day. In total, 57 patients completed the feedback questionnaire between April 2023 and April 2024. 84% of patients felt the session was useful or very useful, 89% found the session easy to attend, and 58% felt better able to manage their symptoms following the session. 82% of patients would recommend the session to their family and friends, and 77% found it helpful to attend a session with patients experiencing the same symptoms. Conclusions GBE is a useful patient-centred tool to educate patients on defaecatory disorders, reduce wait-time for initial management, and received good patient feedback.